To Örebro University

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to explore the utility of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) when assessing caregivers' perceptions of interaction and factors related to interaction in non-speaking children with disability.

METHOD: A questionnaire with focus on interaction and related factors was constructed by linking questions in existing instruments to ICF and was completed by 208 professionals and parents of 195 non-speaking children with disabilities in Russia. Caregivers' descriptions of interaction in open-ended questions were qualitatively analysed and compared to selected caregivers' ratings of children's functioning and environment in the questionnaire based on ICF.

RESULTS: In the open-ended questions about interaction the caregivers described modes of communication children used, situations in which interactions took place, positive and negative aspects of interactions. Thirty eight respondents described interaction with children negatively, 66 neutrally, and 76 positively. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences among the three groups of respondents concerning their ratings of children's functioning and environment in the ICF-based questionnaire.

CONCLUSIONS: The ICF-related items in the questionnaire corresponded to caregivers' perceptions of interaction, which shows their relevance for the description of interactions. ICF is feasible in describing of interaction and interaction-related factors in non-speaking children with disabilities in Russia.

Introduction: For ICF-CY to be used in clinical practice several issues have to be resolved concerning the logical coherence in the model, developmental and functional issues as well as clinical feasibility. Purpose: The aim is to investigate feasibility of ICF-CY as expressed by ICF-CY questionnaires in assessment prior to intervention. 

Methods: One hundred and thirty-nine professionals working with intervention for children with disabilities used ICF-CY questionnaires in assessment. The professionals rated and commented on the feasibility of ICF-CY and ICF-CY questionnaire. Logical coherence, developmental issues and clinical use were investigated. 

Results: The logical coherence on component level was good (KMO = 0.126, p<0.005). To investigate developmental and functional issues in the model children, four age groups were compared with the help of one-way ANOVA. Significant differences were found between children younger than 3 and children 3-6 and 7-12 in four chapters in the component Activities/Participation. Professionals consider that ICF-CY is feasible in intervention but experience difficulties when using the components and qualifiers in the ICF-CY and suggest changes. 

Discussion: ICF-CY as expressed in ICF-CY questionnaires is a feasible tool in assessment and intervention. However, several issues can be developed and discussed to facilitate implementation of ICF-CY in clinical practice.

Objective: To explore how content analysis can be used together with linking rules to link texts on assessment and intervention to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health – version for children and youth (ICF-CY).

Methods: Individual habilitation plans containing texts on assessment and intervention for children with disabilities and their families were linked to the ICF-CY using content analysis. Texts were first divided into meaning units in order to extract meaningful concepts. Meaningful concepts that were difficult to link to ICF-CY codes were grouped, and coding schemes with critical attributes were developed. Meaningful concepts that could not be linked to the ICF-CY were assigned to the categories “not-definable” and “not-covered”, using coding schemes with mutually exclusive categories.

Results: The size of the meaning units selected resulted in different numbers and contents of meaningful concepts. Coding schemes with critical attributes of ICF-CY codes facilitated the linking of meaningful concepts to the most appropriate ICF-CY codes. Coding schemes with mutually exclusive categories facilitated the classification of meaningful concepts that could or could not be linked to the ICF-CY.

Conclusion: Content analysis techniques can be applied together with linking rules in order to link texts on assessment and intervention to the ICF-CY.